HAVING EYES, THEY SEE 33 



habits of the insect make eyesight un- 

 necessary. They are composed of many 

 simple eyes or facets grouped solidly to- 

 gether. Since these complex eyes have 

 been developed at much cost, it is not un- 

 reasonable to conclude they are for pur- 

 poses of seeing ; nor may it be wholly rash 

 to suggest that they may be even better 

 organs of vision than those possessed by 

 man, — a conclusion our vanity might 

 make it hard for us to accept. 



Certainly insects act. as if they saw, and 

 saw well, as when young bees, leaving the 

 hive for the first time, fly close to it facing 

 it, and do not go away until they have 

 apparently located its position and learned 

 to recognise it at sight. 



Wasps, too, when leaving prey to which 

 they wish to return, act as if they were 

 locating the place, as they fly about care- 

 fully examining the neighbourhood before 

 leaving, and when they wish to return are 

 able to find the exact spot, unless mean- 



